Tuesday, 28 June 2011

Sleek Mediterranean Collection

When previews of Sleek's Mediterranean collection surfaced back in early April, the Monaco i-Divine Palette immediately went onto my shopping list. The vibrant rainbow of shades looked perfect for some summer time fun. Thanks to Kas, I received my order of the palette, Santorini blush and the dual-ended Contour Brush last weekend. With a mix of matte and shimmery shades, the palette enables one to create a diverse range of looks. Some ladies may be put off by the abundance of blue and green shades in the palette but it's actually pretty easy to create some simple looks for day with this palette just by using two or three shades, for example a gradational look in beige/brown or a wash of the shimmery lilac paired with the off-white and lined with the midnight blue. If you are not used to wearing brighter shades, you can always start by using such shades in moderation as an accent colour in the crease or along the lower lashline, or from the upper lashline to the crease. Just don't do a huge wash of bright turquoise or Kermit green from lashline to the brow (unless you don't mind the stares)! Makeup is about having fun and experimenting, so do try to venture out of your comfort zone sometimes, play around with different combinations rather than get stuck in the mindset that you can only wear certain shades. The textures are typical of Sleek's palettes with good colour payoff and blendability. As usual, the darkest shade, Midnight Garden (midnight blue), is very intense and great for creating a smoky eye, but the powdery fallout is a pain to deal with as it can be difficult to wipe off completely unless one uses makeup remover. Below is the ingredients list. Santorini is a blue-based shocking matte pink. As it is ultra pigmented, it's best to use a stippling brush to apply to avoid ending up with clown cheeks. The Contour Brush (US$10) comes with its own case and is made of synthetic materials. I have't used it yet but the bristles don't feel as lush and dense as my Urban Decay blush brush. For this look, I used Urban Decay Primer Potion as the base, Midnight Garden along the upper lashline, Kiwi Zest in the inner half and Hummingbird in the outer half of the upper eyelid, Summer Breeze blended lightly just above the crease, Lotus Flower at the inner corners and along the lower lashline, and Bamboo over the browbone area. I finished by applying MAC Superslick Liquid Eye Liner in marked for Glamour and Etude House Henna Fix Proof 10 Mascara #1. My ever-growing stash of i-Divine Palettes :-) I'm looking forward to adding Oh So Special, Curacao and Au Naturel to my collection. Compared with the other palettes, I think Bohemian (which was limited edition and no longer available) was the only palette that had some similar shades to Monaco (marked with asterisks in the photo below). Most of the shades in Monaco did not have exact dupes in the other palettes.

Hi,I have very oily skin but not particularly oily eyelids and UDPP works very well for me. Some people find it too drying though. If you are in Singapore, you can buy it easily at Sephora stores. It is available in four shades now but I usually use the original shade. I think it costs around S$34 which is quite reasonable as one tube will last you many months.